Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 Gladiators Twisted
by mikelaanna
Summary: In the zone of Tors-ten, the BF5 find an interesting captive girl with features and powers unlike any they have ever seen. With her experience in the field, she forms a plan to get the team out in once piece with the battle key, and Vert decides to trust her. Zoom isn't sure, but later finds that he can't let the stranger go when she reveals her choice to stay behind. Can he cope?
1. Chapter 1

Rays of sunshine beat down on the salt flats of Handler's Corners. Everyone in the miniature town had their air conditioning at its highest setting, except for one secluded garage. The Battle Force 5 headquarters was sadly deprived of an AC system. And so, the elite team fighting to keep the multiverse alive, sat in the confining rec room, sweating buckets and drinking sports juice. Stanford was sprawled on the loveseat in his speedo (unfortunately for his team mates) with a personal, battery-operated, purple hand fan blowing air in his face and feet propped up on the coffee table. The Cortez brothers, Spinner and Sherman, sat together on a stylish yellow couch, irritated by one another's company while Agura, the only girl, sat across from them with head tilted back trying to relax. It was obvious the boiling humidity made it difficult for everyone to maintain a cool temperament and quiet tongue. Spinner complained, only increasing the tension.

"Isn't it weird we have all these high tech gizmos for battling aliens," he flailed his hands in the air. "but we don't have an air conditioner that works?"

He finished with the emphasis of slouching forward and making a sour face.

"Your feet make a nice centerpiece and all Stanford," Agura leaned in and sniffed before wrinkling her nose at the British teammate. "but they don't exactly smell like roses."

"Oh rub the bunions, ol gal, will ya?" he replied in his thick accent and wiggle his toes. "the heat makes my dogs bark."

Spinner lost patience and tried to push his brother off the couch.

"If you don't shove over this dog is going to do some barking of its own!"

Sherman grinned. He knew exactly how to get to his big brother.

"How's that sunburn treating you, bro?" Sherman dealt an audible slap to the shorter brother's back. He was rewarded with a yelp and an angry glare.

Zoom walked in and laughed, strangely in high spirits for such sweltering weather.

"While you suckers are sweating out," he pulled open the fridge and reached inside. "I hit the last super-hyrdro-reinvigorators at the back of the fridge!" His hand came out empty. Then he heard a loud sigh from the team leader, followed by an obnoxious burp. Vert stood in the corner of the room, empty bottle in hand, and a satisfied smile across his face. "Hey!" Zoom whined, high spirits gone.

"Funny how the last one tastes even better than the first!" Vert teased.

"You juiceless swine!" The youngest member of the team scolded him before sadly slumping his shoulders. "How could you?"

Vert looked around at the team, charged with the safety of protecting the multiverse, now bickering like kids.

"I guess all this saving the world stuff is starting to take its toll…" he remarked while watching the verbal fight between the Cortez brothers. Agura and Stanford were also at each other's throats, and with all the shouting Vert couldn't hear Zoom's threats which were emphasized with a shaking fist and furious expression. Just then, Sage announced a mission over the speakers.

"Stormshock detected!" she announced. "Portal opening in 'T' minus two minutes!"

 _"_ _Perfect timing,"_ Vert thought to himself. Before the message was finished, the team was already on their way to their vehicles. Spinner and Sherman got awkwardly stuck in the sliding door for a few seconds on their way out.

The fire that was previously used for shooting complaints and insults at each other was now focused on the mission. Engines revved, gears shifted, pedals to the metal and they were tearing across the salt flats towards the cyclone of blue winds.

"Advise caution," Sage warned over com link as their wheels lifted off the ground and they were swept into the vortex. "Perceiving unusual readings from this portal. Hostile entity... battle zone could be a trap."

Then the link was cut off as the warriors were sucked into the portal. Blue light flashed and spun before they popped out the other side, hearts beating double time from the excitement. Everyone hit the brakes and heads turned, surveying the zone. They had entered into a huge dome with four arches leading up to a hanging, spikey, wicked-looking disco ball at the top. Something about the zone felt… off, and Vert could tell everyone else on the team felt it too.

"Fan out and look for the battle key," he ordered. "this place gives me the creeps."

Their mission was simple. Find the battle key, then lock down the zone to save earth. But simple isn't always easy, or boring, for that matter.

The team started to circle the edge of the dome, when Spinner noticed enormous red boxes on top of pedestals at the base of each pillar.

"Wonder what those are?" he indicated to the base of the pillars. "Some giant stain glass… trophy cases?"

Right when he finished talking, a figure inside one of the boxes walked up to the red, glass looking surface. The young girl looked shocked and was trying to tell them something, but the team couldn't hear her. Spinner yelped at her sudden, ghost-like appearance.

"Guys, you see that?" Vert drove up to the base and everyone followed. "What's she doing here?"

The girl was making frantic gestures and faces, even a couple shooing motions. They had to crane their heads slightly up to see her.

"Who is she?" Agura looked quizzically at her. "What's she doing here in a battle zone?"

"What's she saying?" Zoom tried to read her lips in vain. She seemed to become more panicked by the minute.

"Whoever she is, we need to get her out!" Vert nodded to the brothers in the Buster.

"On it!" Sherman acknowledged the hint. "Spin?"

"Flail," Spinner replied, and pressed a few buttons. "coming to the rescue!"

"Stanford," Vert looked at the driver behind the wheel of the reverb. "can you tell her to back away from the glass?"

"Right," the artillery expert replied, bringing out his big guns. "assuming we speak the same language."

He pressed a row of buttons before clearing his throat.

"Um, Miss," he started with his voice projected by Reverb's guns. "you need to back away from the glass. Stand back!"

Well, it was clear he got her attention. She stared at Stanford as he tried hand motions with his instructions.

"Back AWAY," he pronounced very clearly and slowly. Agura rolled her eyes as she watched to see if the girl understood. But Spinner apparently wasn't waiting for her to move.

"Flail ready!" he announced, thumb over the trigger. The girl was still at the side and hadn't changed position.

"Spinner, wait!" Sherman, Agura, and Zoom all exclaimed. Too late. The chain shot out the Buster and rammed into the glass! Only, it wasn't glass. The high-energy field caused the flail to ricochet off straight back to the Buster.

"Woah!" Spinner jumped. "That's more like a vault with rubber sides!"

The girl behind the field put her head in her hands.

Just then, a portal burst open at the other side of the dome and the vandals emerged, ruthless and savage as ever. The girl began pounding the field with her fists, stomping her feet, waving her hands, and shaking her head. She was definitely trying to tell them something.

"Zoom and the Cortez brothers," Vert directed. "figure out how to get her out of there. Maybe establish communication. She may know how to break down her own walls." He then revved his engine and spun to face the coming enemy. "The rest of us are on Calis and his crew! Let's go!"

The giant cat released a furious roar before queuing Crocomoto, Hatch, and Sever; his most skilled and deadly warriors. The two sides were about to meet head on when the floor began to shake and walls rise out of the ground! Zoom looked up at the girl and saw her face, horror stricken. She shook her head and disappeared backwards out of sight. Tires screeched to a stop from all vehicles and the Vandals could be heard crashing into the wall on the opposite side. Spinner laughed.

"Vandals are caged up like they're in a zoo!"

"Yo genius," Sherman remarked. "We're caged up too."

"This can't be good…" Zoom muttered. A malevolent, mechanical laugh resounded through the entire dome, making the atmosphere creepier than it already was. Atop a pillar opposite the girl's box sat a dark, closed cockpit with only the silhouette of their captor visible.

"Organics!" The male voice boomed. "You are now under the total control of Tors-ten."

All eyes were on the silhouette as the voice echoed through the dome.

"Prepare for the ultimate test!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Vert clenched his jaw. He was used to the unexpected, and most of the time the unexpected wasn't like a birthday surprise.

"Our quarrel is with the subspecies," Calis snarled from the other side of the wall. "not you! REALEASE US!"

"Impossible!" the silhouette responded, accompanied by the clicking of his metal fingers. "I have specifically modified this battel zone, so NO test subject can escape."

"That must be what our boxed friend is," Stanford explained over the com-link. "a test subject!" He tried to locate her again, but she hadn't come back to the glass. Stanford engaged himself in trying to establish some sort of communication. Zoom was appalled.

"Test subject?" he shouted up to the cockpit. "We're not your lab rats, robo dweeb!"

"I am Tors-ten," the silhouette corrected Zoom. "design master of this sark vehicle testing facility. I COMMAND; you will battle each other, to determine which designs are worthy of the superior beings I represent!"

Loud clanging noises sounded from the other side of the walls. The team could only assume the vandals were gearing up to do just as commanded. It was no problem for them to fight one another. _They probable do that every day._ Agura remarked to herself. But then again, weren't her own team mates doing that all morning?

"Sorry dude," Vert drove forward. "my crew doesn't fight for anybody's grins! Fork over the battel key and we'll be on our way."

No response. The team waited with bated breath (except Stanford who was busy pushing buttons and playing around with his on-board computer), hoping it was that easy. Of course, it never is. A short, intense buzzing noise came from the spiked ball at the top of the dome before red lightning shot from one of its sharp tips. The impact caused Vert's car to complete two full barrel rolls in the air before landing back on its wheels, pretty jangled up. Vert clenched his jaw harder and grunted.

"Participation is NOT optional!" the silhouette shook its fist.

"Vert," Stanford anxiously adjusted a couple more gages. "I've almost established connection. I've detected a vehicle with an on-board radio. Just need a little longer to establish a link… it's unlike any I've ever seen before." Vert nodded.

"Sherman, Spinner, how about Buster-ing sky-box boy onto field level?" he suggested with a hint of mischief in his voice. The brothers smiled at the idea and gave each other a look. They knew each other's thoughts.

"On it!" Sherman drove into position and queued his brother who reached up and pushed his favorited button. A chunk of metal connected to a chain shot from the blue tank's turret towards the cockpit. To the team's disappointment, another bolt of red lightning charged down, deflecting the flail. More lasers began to rain down all over the dome, causing both sides of drivers to scatter immediately.

"Hey!" Stanford complained with a shaking fist as he drove to dodge the blasts. "I almost had it! I have to start over now!"

"I read you loud and clear." A female voice rang over the com-link, sounding a bit annoyed but mainly worried. "Is this link secure?" Vert just missed a volley of lasers and performed an expert maneuver off the wall with the Saber.

"Nice work Stanford!" he congratulated the British teammate. Spinner gave a whoop over the com link to show his approval.

"The link is secure." Stanford dodged a couple of bolts. "Of course, with an expert in the art of sound such as myself, mistakes simply aren't possible." He then made a show of blowing imaginary dust off his nails before rubbing them off. Zoom rolled his eyes, then gasped. A laser hit Vert's Saber and enveloped him in some sort of red glowing field before carrying him off and dumping him in a box just right of the girl.

"Hold," Tors-ten announced. "for further study." Vert grit his teeth and deployed the Saber's chainsaw, determined to get out. The hood of his red vehicle folded open to reveal three deadly spinning blades. He charged and sawed away at the red energy field.

"Don't!" The female voice cried over the radio. A red dot appeared on Vert's chest, aiming for a deadly shot.

"CEASE!" the mechanical voice shouted. "Or suffer the consequences!"

Vert huffed angrily down at the dot on his chest before withdrawing and folding the Saber's blades back inside the hood. The dot disappeared. An audible sigh of relief came from the girl and Vert looked to his left to see a seventeen year old girl seated in a black, single-rider, three-wheeled, strange looking trike. Vert jumped out of his car while sliding on clear shades with an attached ear communicator. She looked up from her glowing blue dashboard and shook her head. The girl stepped off of her vehicle and walked over with an ear communicator as well. The dome rumbled as more walls rose, separating the drivers into groups of two. Vert watched, trying to keep his nerves under control and channeling his adrenaline to the problem-solving part of his brain. The girl stood a foot away with just the red energy field glass separating them. Black hair in a pixie cut provided long bangs which partially covered her left eye. Both eyes, however, were unlike any Vert had ever seen before. They were startling, with not just one color, but with _every shade of the rainbow._ And her hair, besides being cut short for a girl, was just as odd. A solid streak of silver ran from the top of her head to the middle of her long bangs. It could've been dyed, but looked quite natural and somewhat un-earthly. "Your team won't last thirty minutes in the zone." She muttered.

"We can hear you." Zoom remarked, a bit annoyed.

"They can handle their own." Vert expressed confidence in his team and then addressed the stranger. "Now, who are you and what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." She sighed and crossed her arms, looking over the separated drivers. "Why didn't you leave while you still could? Now it may be too late." Her voice sounded so depressed, even over the com link, that if Vert wasn't… well… _Vert,_ he would've believed her and given up right there, telling the team to surrender. But they were on a mission, and Battle Force 5 doesn't give up so easily.

"It's never too late." He responded firmly.

The walls separated the drivers into four groups. Calis and Hatch were in one, Crocomoto and Sever in another, Zoom and the Cortez brothers in the next, and Agura and Stanford finished the count. The mechanical voice vibrated across the dome.

"Your initial opponents have been chosen," he announced as his silhouette gestures to the drivers. "The ultimate champion's reward; the battle key."

Everybody looked up to see a flat, glowing, foot-long battle key floated down to rest atop the cockpit.

"COMMENCE COMBAT!" the voice enthusiastically roared the command. Immediately, the clang of metal and rev of engines resonated from the Vandals' combat quarters, but the Vert's team casually wove in and out of each other's paths without any intention of fighting.

"Your teammates won't fight one another for the key?" the girl questioned over the link. She looked surprised.

"Of course not," Vert shook his head and tried to form a plan. "there's always another way."

"And as Vert said before," Agura spoke up. "we don't fight for anybody's grins."

"Yeah," Zoom nodded decisively. "but heck with that."

"We want to know who you are and how you get trapped inside this battle zo-" a laser blast interrupted Sherman and he yanked on the steering wheel.

"Woah!" Spinner almost squealed. The girl's jaw tensed and Vert recognized the reaction as similar to his own.

"My name is Silver Mayali." She spoke through gritted teeth. "And as to how I got here is a long story and no importance or help. As of right now, the situation will be much worse if you don't start fighting each other, NOW!" Another laser blasted the floor right next to Stanford, missing him by a couple inches. It was followed by three more blasts aimed at Zoom and the Cortez brothers, resulting in a couple scorch marks on their vehicles.

"Woah," Vert was shocked at the violent encouragement for combat. "Red-eyes means business. Better mix it up guys! Bogus style."

"Got it Vert. Put on a show," Spinner lounged back in his seat and made a _chill_ hand motion. "but keep it on the down-low."

"It's not going to work." Silver commented. "Tors will just push them harder."

"Just watch." Vert pressed his hands to the energy field glass, looking like a child at a lion taming circus, hoping the tamer won't get eaten. Silver shook her head and huffed, but watched just as attentively as her fellow captive.

"One poser beat down coming up!" Zoom revved his bike and charged straight towards the Cortez brothers' giant blue tank. Silver caught her breath as a flail was launched from the turret. Zoom quickly hit the brakes to drift the bike low on its side, missing the chunk of steel by a foot. He then righted his yellow bike and sped off past the tank.

"Oh, that dirty rascal!" Spinner tried to act angry over the insecure com link for Tors-ten. "We nearly got him Sherm!"

"Let us try and destroy him again!" Sherman sarcastically exclaimed. If Tors-ten was able to see their smirking faces, the performance definitely wouldn't be able to sell. Silver relaxed a bit, but then frowned. _It's not good enough, he won't buy it._

Agura and Stanford winked before launching into their own act. Stanford shifted gears and sped ahead of his teammate before swerving the Reverb sideways, directly in her path. Just before Agura ran him over, Stanford pressed a button causing a spring of sentient powered sound to launch him over the Tangler[MS1] and perform a barrel roll in the process!

"Now that's called keeping it real looking." The brit arched one eyebrow, challenging his teammate to do better.

"Looks like fun," Agura grinned and spun around to face Stanford. "My turn!"

Silver looked back at Vert who seemed to be enjoying the show.

"Their vehicles aren't even dented." She criticized with a frown. "A true attack inflicts damage on the opponent."

"Hence the term _down-low_." Spinner grinned.

"Tors-ten isn't dumb." Silver explained. "If you don't pick up the act he's gonna use-"

"The nuero-transmitter manipulator," the mechanical voice cut her off as if he could hear her argument. "should stimulate the hyper-aggression within each of you."

The spiked ball sent out waves of anger towards the team, causing them to lose steering and clutch their heads in pain. Their minds unwilling to give into the anger, fought until their mouths uttered screams and grunts of effort. Sherman even slapped his skull trying to counter the waves of manipulation. Vert peered down worriedly at his team. What thoughts were running through their minds? Could they really be forced to fight one another?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"You gotta fight the urge, guys!" Vert urged, concerned about the outcome of this whole event. The team could be pretty hostile when they wanted to. And at the moment, it seemed like they _really_ wanted to.

"Right now the only thing I feel like fighting is," Stanford looked up and spotted Agura. "HER!" He crazily raced towards the Tangler. The rest of the team gave in to the manipulator's influence as the demon world broke loose in the dome. Tires screeched, blades drawn, and eyes bored into each other's souls displaying the most hostility Vert had ever seen in his friends. Agura gave up fighting the pounding waves of anger and turned to face Stanford. She now saw him as a stupid pest in need of a good chemical spray-down labelled 'butt whooping'

In the neighboring quarter, Zoom gave the Cortez brothers a murderous look as they too, failed to offset the anger.

"Spinner, don't give in." Sherman grunted trying to encourage his brother. "Keep your mind… urgh… strong!"

"How… about… minding your own mind!" Spinner shrieked, thoroughly aggravated. "BUG BRAIN!"

"Oh no… no no no!" Silver furiously banged on the energy glass, hoping to alter their focus. "You guys have to remember who the real enemy is!"

Using his side sonic speakers, Stanford blasted Agura against the wall. She landed upside down with a sickening screech of metal on concrete. The British smiled coldly with satisfaction. Agura was infuriated when she righted the Tangler and turned towards her opponent with a withering, heated glare.

"So, you wanna GO?" She barked.

"Bring it." He whipped forward and the two collided diagonally causing a loud bang of metal. But the vehicles recovered quickly, swerved around, and were at it again.

"Agura, Stanford!" Vert whapped the red, energy glass wall with his fist. "Get a grip! Silver is right, remember who the enemy is!"

But the effort was futile. The team was literally at each other's throats ramming, twisting, and slashing with every tool available!

Stanford made another head-on charge, but Agura was ready and elevated the Tangler's frog-like limbs which allowed the Reverb to pass right under. She then spun around and fired a grappling claw, nailing the purple bumper. The huntress snickered as his wheels smoked trying to pull away. Stanford grunted with the effort, but it changed into a roguish grin as he yanked the joystick and turned, speeding in circles around his opponent until the Tangler was wrapped in its own wire. Vert groaned and face-palmed.

"Red," Silver turned to Vert, calling him by the color of his uniform. "Listen up."

"The name is Vert." he corrected but payed attention.

"Vert," she stared at him intently, a plan forming in her mind. "I have an idea and I need to be down there before Tors-ten is finished testing you guys."

"What's the plan?"

"If I can get down there, I have something that will destroy the nuero-transmitter manipulator. Then it's just a matter of knocking our scientist down from his throne so you guys can grab the key and get out."

"Okay," Vert agreed a bit doubtfully. "but on Tors' rules, we are free to go once-"

"You really believe that?" the black haired girl scoffed and raised her eyebrows.

"He's a robot."

"He's evil."

"Huh," Vert reflected on the red lasers and malicious laughing. "Good point." Silver cocked her head in a ' _Yeah, go free? Not gunna happen'_ expression.

"Why do you think _I'm_ still here?" she asked.

"Alright," Vert nodded. "It'll be a longshot, but getting you down in the ring could be difficult, much less knowcking out the manipulator." Vert thought about her rough plan over again and faltered on one area. In his mind, he recalled her words. ' _So_ _ **you**_ _guys can grab the key and get out_ ,'

"What about you?" he asked. "We can take you back home to earth. You're coming with us, right?"

"I can't go." Silver answered shortly before turning back to the combatants in the center. Vert shook his head and pointed at the pentagon with a five in the middle, pinned on his chest.

"This is battle force five, and no one gets-"

"Just let me do my thing." She stopped him and made a ' _talk to the hand'_ motion. Vert didn't like it and was slightly puzzled, but decided not to push her. She would come when this was over. Nobody was crazy enough to choose to stay here. Besides, they had current problems to drive through first.

He looked down at Zoom and the Cortez brothers who weren't faring so well, particularly Zoom. He was able to inflict some damage across the top of the tank with the pop-out blades in his wheels, but the attack had a minor effect on the blue tank's functionality. The Buster effortlessly swatted the Chopper in flight mode out of the air with a flail, and Zoom toppled to the floor.

"That's going to leave a mark." Silver muttered and winced at the poor landing.

"Not as much as if the Buster crew runs him over!" Vert exclaimed as the massive blue tank charged straight for Zoom splayed on the ground. "Zoom, get up!" Vert shouted, scared for the young biker's life. "Buster, STOP!" Zoom grasped the few seconds to act, and with his arms, pushed up quickly and strongly enough so his feet were the first to reach the air as the tank passed just beneath him. He sailed like an arrow and almost made it, but tripped over the very back lip of the tank's turret! Zoom sprawled and tumble through the air as the two spectators held their breath. The young biker landed with quick reflexes and cushioned the fall with a low crouch. Zoom stood up to show he was ok. Vert and Silver breathed, relieved Zoom's limbs were still attached with minimal bruising. Although, he didn't look too pleased with himself.

Silver abruptly turned and jogged back to her trike where she leaned over the dashboard. Vert couldn't see what she was doing, but blue light reflected off her emotionless face.

"Initial combat results, promising." Tors-ten pronounced. "But intensify manipulator beam for maximum aggressiveness."

A couple more pings from the spiked ball hanging from the ceiling, and they discovered a whole new level of wild fury. Vert watched as his team tore at each other. The worst part? He, who was supposed to be the leader, was isolated from his friends, helpless to intervene or change the situation. _Vert, the sideline chief._ He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the negativity. This wasn't him.

"Hang in there." Silver didn't look up from her fiddling, but sounded sympathetic even though her face remained expressionless. "I'll do what I can from my end. Keep talking to them."

"How are we going to get you down there?" Vert wanted to kill that manipulator immediately.

"Working on it. Keep talking."

"What are you doing?"

"I meant talk to them, not me."

"Listen, mystery girl. I intend to-" Vert stopped when he realized she had cut the link. Her mouth was moving, but no sound came through. He growled, annoyed. He didn't 'get' her. _She wants me to get her into the battle but then goes off to just do it on her own,_ he murmured to himself. _Great teamwork. Who is she even talking to?_

Down in the ring, Stanford was about to take a shot at Agura with his sonic cannons. Her cable still tied the Tangler's wheels down, making her immovable. Stanford would've knocked her out if not for the strength packed inside the huntress' vehicle. The Tangler snapped the cable, leaped high over the purple waves of sentient powered sound as they blasted the wall behind her. She landed behind the Reverb and flipped the purple vehicle onto its bumper where, using its multi-functional wheels, the Tangler held it into place and spun like a blender. Agura thought she had the upper hand, but was caught unawares as the Reverb and Tangler were blown backwards and smashed into the wall thanks to Stanford's sound spring hidden underneath the body of the Reverb. The Tangler flattened on the wall like a sticker and its opponent drove proudly away.

"Stanford!" Vert called reproachfully. "Com'on, this is BF5! Same team, remember?"

"Tell it to little miss blender in the clown car!" Stanford retorted in his thick accent. Agura snarled in response.

In the cubicle next door, Zoom (stupidly) remounted his yellow bike and tried again to take on the Cortez brothers. After they tried a deadly shot with a concussion bomb, Zoom flipped onto the near wall with blades dancing out of his tires, causing an irritating nails-on-chalkboard-like sound. He rode the wall and flipped to the up and over to the right, landing sideways on the Buster. The young rider sniggered as he left a nasty gash on the Tank, and a shocked Cortez inside. It took less than a second for the shock to turn into rage.

"Buster, Chopper, everybody!" Vert roared out to them. "You're playing right into his hands!"

"Easy to trash us when you're sitting on your BUTT safe and sound," Agura mocked. "fearless leader!" This hit a note as everybody called names in a chaotic manner.

"You can't stand – juiceless swine drank – stop it – why don't you come – " the words jumbled together, often mixed with a "yeah!" for emphasis. This did _not_ help Vert's attempts to push away the negative thoughts.

The Vandals on the other side crowned themselves victors as Calis and Crocomoto ultimately demolished their opponents by flipping their vehicles and ramming them into walls. A massive roar from Calis ricochet around the dome.

"Initial tests complete." The robotic voice announced. The nuero-transmitter manipulator halted its pinging, and everybody's facial expression changed from outraged to confused (with the exception of the vandals who didn't need the manipulator as extra encouragement for combat).

"Victors advance!" Tors proclaimed. "Losers to the pre-destruction holding cell."

The same red beam that dropped Vert in his tank came out of the ball in eight branches and grasped all the vehicles in the ring. The drivers shouted in surprise. It carried the beaten and badly dented 'losers' to awaiting red boxes just like Vert and Silver's, and deposited the proclaimed 'winners' back to the floor. The match was set as Sherman and Spinner versus Agura, and Calis versus Crocomoto. Both Zoom and Stanford were dropped together in a red energy-field box next to Vert while the vandals Hatch and Sever claimed their cell on the opposite wall.

"Vert, I want this noted;" Stanford grumbled and rubbed his throbbing head. "Agura has major anger issues."

"You're one to talk." Silver remarked, and stepped off her trike to meet the newly bruised captives a bit closer. Apparently she re-established their com-link.

"It seems like everyone has problems when Tors-ten hits you with that agro-beam." Vert replied, pointing to the spiked balled hanging from the ceiling. Zoom wasn't exactly paying attention. Silver caught his eye. She was… interesting, holding a serious atmosphere, but with eyes so brightly colored they could have powered Las Vegas! The scout blinked hard a couple times to snap out of it. What was his problem? _Stay cool…_ he reminded himself.

"Heeelooo!" Stanford hailed the mystery girl. The brit made no effort to hide his interest, compared to Zoom, who simply nodded and smiled a friendly greeting to 'stay cool'. Vert stood on the side, laughing inwardly but kept a straight face and watched the scene unfold. Silver shot a glare at the purple driver's strange 'hello _.'_ She wasn't entirely pleased with this language which she called _'love interest.'_ The girl remembered too much from too long ago. She learned her lesson.

"Zoom and Stanford, I presume." Silver flatly addressed the newcomers. "How are you guys feeling? With that bad of a thrashing, you're lucky to be alive."

"Head is a bit sore and Chopper is pretty beat up," Zoom viewed his massive yellow bike. "but I'm good."

"Thanks for the concern, love." The brit tried his royal smile to win her over. "But that green tree-hugging frog couldn't have beat me if I were blind-folded."

 _He clearly didn't get my message, unless this his everyday show-off attitude._ Silver grumbled to herself.

"In case you haven't noticed, you were classified as 'loser' of our little match and placed in a red fish-tank." Agura snorted. Stanford was about to respond but Silver cut him off.

"I think we've all had our fill of arguing, thank you very much."

"Hah! These two?" Zoom chuckled and pulled off his helmet revealing an amused expression. "They could go at it all day."

"Time which we don't have." Silver snapped and the scout's expression vanished.

"Silver has a plan to get out of these fish-tanks and back home." Vert announced.

"I hear that." Stanford surveyed the red energy glass. "Pre-destruction holding cell doesn't sound promising."

Just then, Tors-ten issued the next round to begin.

"You adversaries have been chosen as the victors." The spiked ball began sending out more pings. "Commence combat!" The irritable air ensued again as the brothers and Agura charged towards one another. Silver clenched her jaw.

"We don't have much time, but this is how the next couple rounds will go." She turned to her fellow captives with a serious tone of voice. "I talked to Tors-ten over com link- "

"Woah, woah, woah. Wait," Stanford waved his hands in a _stop everything_ motion. "You _talked_ with our red-handed fiend? Or _spied_ for him?" A couple crashing and yelling noises sounded from the Buster, but Silver was just grateful the brit stopped using his _love interest_ language.

"We don't have time for this." The girl huffed and tried to explain. "You can say I'm a… favorite _toy_ for Tors' tests. He enjoys my skills in the ring, which give me some… convincing leverage." She then crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "And honestly, what could I possible tell him to make things worse?" Zoom and Stanford looked to their leader for approval. Spinner and Sherman's arguing in the background prevented any awkward silence while Vert made the choice whether to trust the rainbow-eyed girl.

"Our options are limited, and time's running out." He decided. "Silver, what's the plan?" The girl looked relieved as she explained.

"There are two more tests left. The first will be Vert against Calis," Silver looked vert directly in the eyes. "Then it's you and your team versus me." She talked faster before Vert could respond or protest. "On that round, Tors-ten will have to use the manipulator because I would never fight you willingly. On that round, I need the team to do everything it can to make me as angry as possible, especially Zoom."

The scout felt a little shocked when she requested for him specifically. _Why me?_

"When the time is right, you will know when to have Zoom fly beneath the… 'disco ball'."

Zoom made confused face at the strange plan while Stanford shrugged and looked at Vert.

"I'll fire a shot at Zoom who is underneath the ball, and then he will have to move at the last second, causing the manipulator to be knocked out of commission. I get control of my brain back, and can handle the rest from there."

"Why you?" Stanford questioned. "I could just blast the agro-beam with my cannons." Silver shook her head, causing her bangs to fall further in front of her face. She combed her hair back over her head with her fingers.

"Tors will see it coming and fire a laser to counteract it. This way, Zoom taunting me is the reason for such a strong shot to be made towards the ball and Tors-ten won't ever seeing it coming." She grinned, revealing a row of pearly white teeth. "Besides, by the time you are five seconds into the ring with _me_ , you're going to want that beam out of commission as soon as possible."

"So, once the beam is out," Zoom didn't seem too comfortable with the plan. "we take down robo-dweeb, grab the key, and get outta here."

"Correct."

"Let's do it." Vert firmly nodded. Turning back to the Cortez brothers and Agura, he had so many questions he wanted to ask (like how did she expect to fight a team of five vehicles alone), but strangely decided to push them off. The entire idea was shaky, and required a whole lot of trust in the new girl. Everything rested on her; a stranger and captive they knew nothing about. Vert checked himself and was surprised he counted on someone so new, so easily. But the leader always trusted his gut. It got him out of tight places before and now shouldn't be any different. He glanced over to see Silver walk back to her trike and plop into the seat before leaning back and closing her eyes. She laced her hands behind her head.

"Let me know if you have any more questions." She said quietly. "Next up, Vert and Calis."

If the rainbow-eyed girl only knew all the questions Vert had to ask her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Inferior designs separated for disposal." Tors-ten's voice bounced off the walls. Calis watched as the red beam carried the Buster and Tangler to their team, while Crocomoto was dropped off with his own.

"We need to get out before Tors-ten recycles us!" Vert looked at his battered and scraped up team. They looked like crash test dummies with all their bruises. Just then, the red beam swept up Vert with a painful shock and deposited him into the seat of his Saber.

"Next experiment." The robot announced. "Alpha fighter versus Alpha fighter. Two dominate vehicles will fight to determine the most affective war-machine."

Vert faced Calis in the ring, and the two leaders growled. _At least I'm fighting someone I_ _ **really**_ _can't stand,_ Vert murmured. Then the manipulator began pinging.

"Commence warfare!"

Zoom watched as his leader drove furiously to defeat his opponent. His skills seemed to sharpen under pressure, forming extraordinary moves.

The scout looked up to the leader like a brother. Vert always supported him, with one exception. Zoom took a pretty waitress named Grace, whom Vert and Stanford had been trying to hook up with, out on a date. Both boys wore sour faces for a couple days afterwards and irritably approached the scout. They decided that "the best man gets the girl," and so far, Zoom had been the "best man." He wisely decided _not_ to rub it in his team mates' faces. But now that he thought about it, Stanford had been giving Grace a couple rides to work lately…

"You guys ok?" Agura called over the link while massaging her temples.

"We're good… more or less. How about you?" Zoom surveyed his weary team mates.

"Well, Buster is pretty dinged, and the turret has a couple dysfunctional firing slots… and the rear left wheel axel feels 'off.' But otherwise…" Sherman then stopped as Spinner finished for him.

"We're golden!" the smaller brother gave two thumbs up and a big smile through the windshield. Sarcastic as always. Zoom chuckled.

"Sorry about that boys," Agura apologized and pushed a couple on-board computer buttons as her mouth tightened into a line. "but Tangler isn't in much better shape either."

"Don't worry about't mates," Stanford said. "next match'l be five to one -cording to our newfound friend." He then gestured to the girl resting in a black trike. Agura, Sherman, and Spinner all gave startled, then confused expressions.

"Five to one? Do you _want_ to get your butt kicked?" Spinner queried.

"That's completely unfair. You won't last very long, even if our vehicles are pretty damaged." Agura peered at the girl, trying to get a better look through red glass.

"Well, she sounds pretty confident she can take us." Zoom shrugged. "The idea is that when she's in the ring she'll fire a big shot of… something… at the manipulator." Then he looked a bit downcast, thinking more of his part in the plan. "And I'm the bait."

"I know I can take you." Silver confirmed, with hands still laced behind her head. "And Zoom, don't think of yourself as bait. It's more like the sight on a rifle. _You_ line up my shot." The comparison didn't seem to help his spirits much.

"What is this 'shot' made of exactly?" Sherman asked.

"You'll have to see for yourself."

"Silver has arranged for the next round to be all of us, against her." Stanford began explaining. "This robotic maniac will…"

"Hey, while you do that," Silver moved to lean over her dashboard, causing a couple locks of black hair to fall in front of her face. She combed them back. "Zoom, go to link three."

The young scout fumbled. "Uh yeah…. Sure." he pressed a couple buttons and popped on his helmet so Stanford couldn't hear his words or read his lips. Was his breathing faster? What did she want to talk about? He wasn't this intimidated when he and Grace first met. Why was he thinking of Grace at a time like this?

"You on?" Silver's voice sounded closer and gentler than before.

"Yeah. You sure it was a good idea leaving Stanford explain the plan? He's not exactly-"

"He'll do fine. It's simple enough." She then slowed down her words a bit. "The plan is actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

Zoom didn't know what to expect. "Ok," he queried. "What's up?"

"Look, no hard feelings on making you the 'bait.' My sole reason is because you _handle_ your bike with expert control through the air."

Zoom made a small smile at his dashboard, listening to the voice through his helmet.

"I saw you work out there." She continued. "I made you my sight because I've seen your level of skill. You'll do fine."

Zoom wasn't quite sure he was he was hearing correctly. The once hard and 'strictly-business' girl was now encouraging. Even if 'fine' was the best level of encouragement she could give, it meant something.

"Thanks." He gave a grateful smile and looked over at her as his nerves relaxed.

"Don't tell your team I said that. And one other thing," she hesitated a little. "when you're in position, call me… Silvian. It'll anger me a good amount to make the shot strong."

Zoom was confused. This was the poorest smack-talk he'd ever heard!

"Silvian? Does that mean something?"

"Just do it." She snapped as the comfort left her voice. The scout jumped a little and the team, who couldn't hear their conversation, gave him a couple strange looks. Silver collected herself and gently shook her head, as if trying to shake off a memory or thought. "Sorry." She said quietly. "No pressure."

"Oh yeah." Zoom sighed, the encouragement moment over. "Just fly in front of the disco ball, do some strange name-calling, and nearly get knocked hundreds of feet out of the air so the manipulator is destroyed. Everyone is depending on me. No pressure. No pressure at-" Zoom stopped because his team was watching with muffled laughs. He hadn't realized his hands had a mind of their own. Zoom smiled nervously and shrugged before crossing his arms and tucking his hands where they couldn't move. His little act must have looked like interpretive dance.

Silver chuckled and leaned back, but didn't cut the link. A slightly awkward silence ensued as Vert and Calis's attacks rang louder through the dome. Stanford's lips kept moving, explaining the last of the plan, no doubt. Zoom wanted to say something, ask a question, anything, to get conversation going.

"Hot wheels you have there." He commented.

"Thanks. Not so bad yourself."

"How'd you get here?" he quietly tried the question Vert asked earlier.

The girl fingered her lock of silver hair and spoke with an edge of regret in her voice.

"I was on guard patrol through plains, a daily routine, and had reached the edge of the perimeter when a blue tornado whipped up a couple feet away. I'd seen them many times before and usually steered clear…. But I got cocky this time, and it sucked me in. Been gone for a year now… I think. It's been a while."

"Sorry to hear that." Zoom couldn't imagine what it must have been like to live in a red box for so long and he never found out how she survived.

"Yeah well," she sighed. "it was my fault. I've learned my lesson."

"Where are you from?"

"Doesn't matter." She remarked, and popped on a black helmet. The dark visor made it impossible to see her expression. "We're up." Her voice announced, closer and clearer than before. Zoom hadn't noticed the match ended. Vert performed an expert maneuver, leading Calis into a wall and causing him to flip. The jungle vehicle pinned the cat to the floor and Tors-ten declared Vert the winner.

"You guys ready?" Silver's voice rang clear with anticipation through all the vehicles speakers as she powered her trike. A glowing blue stripe appeared, charging around the front wheel, running along the side, and around to the back wheel. It roared with life as a sleek wing popped out of the back with a red, three pronged symbol decorating the top. A couple of silent _woahs_ rippled through the team. Silver slipped on a pair of black gloves with the fingertips cut off and clicked open her visor. Her face held a determined smile.

"Let's do this." Agura gave a sharp nod.

"We'll get you home, Silver." Zoom promised, but didn't hear her murmur, _not the home you're thinking of._

Tors-ten's words echoed around the dome, announcing the final match as Calis was carried away.

"My most skilled combatant versus the team of five!" he roared proudly. But the scout wasn't paying attention to the robot, he was watching the girl with rainbow eyes close her visor and grip the wheel of her trike. The glowing needle on her speedometer bounced up and down as she revved the engine. Zoom didn't want to fight her, a girl who lived a year under the command of a slave-driving robot. Silver was hurt, but strong; interesting, but… secretive. He made the promise to himself just as much as to her. He would get her home.

"Everyone ready?" Vert yelled to be heard over the red lasers, now carrying everyone issued to compete out of their boxes and into the ring.

"Ready to go!" Spinner gave a thumbs up after they were dropped in the dome, opposite of Silver. They faced each other from the far sides.

"This should be quick." Stanford snickered and adjusted a couple gages.

"Mr. know-it-all explained the plan." Agura rolled her eyes.

"And shouldn't underestimate me." Silver remarked, followed by a resounding thrum of her engine. "Be careful, guys."

"Everybody understand?" the leader asked. They didn't have time to respond.

"Final test," Tors-ten announced. "will determine if the separated designs can fend off my strongest warrior: Silver Mayali, guardian of planet Faven!" With his last words, a stone door behind Silver opened, splashing water across the floor and flowing beneath her trike.

"Commence combat!"

Silver didn't move. The team looked at the water on the floor, puzzled.

"Tors-ten, I'm not going to fight them!" She shouted up to the robot.

"Then you will be forced into submission!"

This was exactly what she expected to happen, and Silver quietly spoke to the team.

"I'm just going to say it now. I'm sorry."

Then the pinging began. Anything else she said afterwards writhed in fury as the manipulator rammed its influence into her brain. Silver seemed to be in a trance, first she bowed her head, then whipped arms straight out to the sides with flexed palms. Water swept off the floor, freezing and attaching itself as needles to the trike while smaller pieces flew to her streamline suit, morphing into shoulder pads, gauntlets, and a translucent chest plate! The trike's side panels popped open to reveal two narrow, rotating, and deadly cannons. Every newly added feature screamed dangerous power as Silver waved her arms, commanding all of the water's motion. One last motion formed a sleek, glass-like shield over the cockpit before both hands grabbed the wheel. The once simple vehicle was now changed into a decked-out, cold, steely, and sharp weapon. The entire team could hear Silver's intense breathing and glimpse the rise and fall of her chest. The black helmet hid her face, but Vert was convinced she looked **angry.**

"Forget my apology," She growled. "YOU WON'T LIVE TO CARE!"

She charged.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Everyone, scatter!" Vert screamed the order and the team didn't need a second bidding. "Surround her and let's get this done!"

The team sped into position while dodging the cold blasts from Silver's guns. Sheets of razor ice lodged itself into the Saber and Reverb causing puncture marks on the frames, but then the ice melted, flew through the air and back to Silver where it was re-used. (To the annoyance of the team)This technique gave her endless ammunition! A couple more shots, and the Buster procured many scratches with another malfunctioned firing slot, plus an obnoxious scream from Spinner. Silver laughed evilly as they rushed past her.

"Sherman, analyze her artillery. Spinner, deploy your ramps. Zoom-" Vert looked at the scout, who nodded and went airborne. "Now everyone, head her straight on." The leader issued. "We gotta make her angry while Zoom gets in position."

"She's already shooting spicy cold bullets," Spinner shrinked in his seat. "don't you think she's angry enough?"

"Not quite."

Agura, Vert, Stanford, and the brothers all rushed straight towards their quarry, calling names and jeering.

"Alien!"

"Bog sniffin' plant sucker!"

"Nanna Cortez shoots better than that!"

This earned a scream of rage and Silver spun around to meet the charge. She sat, waiting for them to come nearer. Zoom circled overhead like a hawk, watching with a pounding heart. She aimed, fired, and hit the buster's left rear wheel twice causing the weak axel to misalign. The blue tank lost control and veered into Vert and Agura. Zoom winced at the crash and the Buster classified as immovable for the rest of the round. Silver taunted the brothers.

"I'd like to see nanna Cortez do _that!_ "

Stanford was still on course and aimed his sonic cannons. He fired. The team heard Silver gasp, but she acted quickly and shot her two guns simultaneously. The ice sheets morphed together on the way to intercept Stanford's attack, but only smothered one of the shots. The other hit her square in the front as a couple ice spikes fell off her black trice. Silver clutched the steering wheel on impact and emitted small yelp.

"Yeah!" the purple team member punched the air with a triumphant smile. "Who got the first hit? That's right, this man right he- AGH!"

Silver rammed his side to shut him up and Stanford went spinning into the wall.

"Vert," Zoom hollered to be heard over his team mate's scream. "that was the shot! What Silver used to stop one of Stanford's sonic bullets, that has to be it!"

"You may just be right!" Silver sneered and aimed her cannons at the scout.

"Woah!" Zoom dodged and weaved, up and down, barely missing the icy blades. "I can't tell if she's trying to help us or kill us."

"I think you're right, Zoom." Sherman looked up from his screen. "The power from her joined shots is exponentially greater by the factor of three! Three times the power of one separate bullet!"

Agura launched a grappling hook and attempted to drag Silver backwards. But somehow, the trike was stronger and dragged Agura into the wall! She looked up and gasped to see gallons of water crawling all over the Tangler's legs, popping the hydraulics, and snapping exposed wire with only the motion of Silver's hands. The girl then made two fists and yanked them down through the air. The water pulled the Tangler to the floor then froze, cementing the vehicle to the floor.

"How is that even possible?" Agura pushed her controls with no response. Because the door required space below her vehicle, she was trapped. "How is she not out of ammo yet?!" Spinner moaned and threw his hands in the air.

Vert drove past, catching their opponent's attention by scraping her side. "Why don't you try something a little less… fluid?" he grinned as Silver chased him, constantly firing her cannons. Vert pulled a quick slip, hitting his brakes to maneuver backwards around Silver. Now the hunted became the hunter, and he sawed at her bumper. Silver tried to shake him, but the infuriating blonde stayed locked onto her trike. She screamed and tried to hit Vert with her cannons.

"Zoom!" Vert hollered to his scout. "Whenever you're ready!" He pulled free of her bumper as Stanford rejoined the fight. Silver pulled a one-eighty degree spin and faced them. Skillfully, she drove backwards while raining icy bullets on her opponents.

"And take your time," Stanford rolled his eyes. "Were only fighting off a witch who happens to have a thing for guns instead of a wooden stick!"

"I'm ready!" he hollered. Zoom had finally climbed high enough and circled just below the disco ball. Tors-ten gave the scout a warning, energizing the ball with glowing power as he spoke.

"Organic, your proximity to the neuro-transmitter manipulator is of significance. Return to the ground within the next five seconds or you will be terminated."

"Vert! We'd better do this quick!" Zoom urged his leader.

FIVE

"Stanford, split up." Vert ordered.

FOUR

"Come and get me, SILVIAN!" the scout called, nerves all in jitters and feeling a little tingle on the back of his skull where the manipulator beam must have been brushing close.

THREE

"AAAGGGGHHHHH!" the girl screamed, yanked her helmet off, and stood straight up in her trike as the cockpit shield melted away. The guns immediately aimed at the scout and glowed with charge.

TWO

"HOW DARE YOU! Only one man in the multiverse can call me that," her voice lowered with heavy breathing and eyes glowed with white, electric light. "AND HE'S DEAD!"

ONE

Both cannons released all their stored energy as Silver whipped her hands in the scout's direction. All the water she held in her power streaked through the air, glowing, explosive, and the size of your living room loveseat. Zoom waited for the moment… the wave almost reached him…

"Click."

He pressed the red button on his handlebars and the Chopper's blades retracted as the yellow bike free-fell straight down. The precision wave scratched the top of Zoom's helmet as it passed. Too much happened at once. Zoom plummeted through the air, Silver's shot almost reached the ball, and Tors-ten's lasers began firing just before…

BOOM!

The two shots collided with a massive blue and red explosion, causing bits of the destroyed weapon to fall to the ground and Tors-ten to release an angry robotic roar. Thankfully, Zoom glided into a safe landing before watching red spikes, chunks of metal, and wire hit the ground. The team whooped and cheered to the crashing sound of victory.

"Wait a minute… Silver!" Zoom pointed to the girl slumped over her dashboard, unmoving and positioned directly below the falling pieces.

"She'll be crushed!" Spinner shouted. Zoom and Vert were already on the move while Stanford shot raining debris clear of the black trike. One massive and heavy sheet of metal slammed down over the cockpit.

"Silver!" Zoom drove faster, steered harder, hoping for her life.

"It's alright Zoom," Vert breathed upon reaching the trike. "I think it missed her, but it'll be difficult getting her out."

The boys ran to pull Silver from the wreck as the last of the disco ball pieces reached the floor with final clanging and clunks. Stanford ceased fire.

"Nice aim Stanford." Agura scoffed at the brit. "you hit all the pieces except the _biggest one!"_

"Hey!" he retorted in his distinct accent. "You try to blast millions of falling rocks out of the air on the same day you reach your last canister of hair gel!"

Vert and Zoom ducked under the sheet of metal while fanning away dust with their hands.

"Silver?" Vert called. "Can you hear me?"

Bits of rock and wire dirtied every visible surface. They could hear short, moaning breaths coming from her still form. Silver lay forward on the dashboard with her chest just over the steering wheel. A trickle of red came from her mouth and she clenched her fists with an audible moan.

"She's not unconscious," The Vert grabbed the helmet from next to her limp legs and threw it out behind him. "just disoriented and shocked."

Both boys held an arm and cautiously pulled her out, Silver regaining strength every second. She opened her eyes, startling them again with vivid colors of the rainbow.

"Did… did it… work?" she breathed. Stanford pulled up and helped to place her in the Reverb. Tors-ten's voice roared through the dome.

"Test subjects no longer viable. Begin destruction."

Any red glow that lighted the arena dimmed quickly away, and red streaks buzzed upward through the walls, support columns, and into… the hanging half of the red spiked ball, still dangerous and menacing as ever.

"I don't think so." Spinner whimpered.

"The blast Silver made was partially intercepted by the lasers when Tors-ten tried to hit Zoom." Sherman explained. "Only half of the device was destroyed; the nuero-trans manipulator part."

Silver groaned and covered her face with her hands. What was left of the hanging weapon could shoot them all to their graves.

"But it's a nice improvement," Agura nodded, gesturing to the Buster and Tangler. "considering the damage you caused under that thing."

"My sincerest apologies." Silver spoke frankly and held a hand to her forehead, trying to subdue the new headache.

BAM!

A laser hit Agura straight on, but the ice holding her Tangler to the ground acted as a shield and took the impact, shattering like glass.

"Stanford, Zoom," Vert called. "defensive protocol! The Buster and Tangler are sitting ducks!"

Silver kept buckled as the Stanford made an effort to draw laser fire(which the movement only increased her headache but she held her tongue), but how were they going to finish the job of knocking down the last half of the spiked ball and escaping Tors-ten's wretched facility? Both of the strongest, most durable vehicles were immovable, and she was in a weakened state.

"We need a plan!" Agura shouted.

"Any ideas?" Zoom wished for a miracle.

"I got you guys into this," Silver said. "and now it's my duty to get you out." A nagging feeling behind her skull, the empty spot in her body, and the drop in confidence proved itself to be the weight of guilt and responsibility for this team. Spinner giggled.

"You said _duty._ "

"Silver," Vert comforted. "your trike is pretty banged up and you're too weak to fight."

"I'm NEVER too weak to finish a good fight!" She slammed her fist down on the leather dashboard, which ticked off Stanford. "How you open this thing?" Silver pressed insistently on the roof of the Reverb until Stanford simply knocked twice, causing the roof to slide back.

"Yes, get out." He snorted, pulling to a short stop. "Quit dripping blood on my seats. You've done quite enough to Reverb's _exterior_ already."

Silver wiped her mouth and pulled herself out before dropping to the floor. She winced and clutched her ribcage.

"Silver," Vert commanded. "get back in the Reverb!" But Stanford drove off, leaving Silver by the wall of the dome.

"I need my helmet!" Silver shouted as she sprinted to Agura on the opposite side of the room. Zoom swept the black object off the floor, missing a couple lasers as he drove. A couple of the red blasts hit the ground a couple inches away from the running girl, and Zoom pulled up next to her with an out stretched hand. She grasped it and was hefted onto the massive yellow bike.

"Here." He handed her a scratched and slightly cracked helmet.

"Thanks." She pulled it over her head.

Zoom could hear her heavy, raspy breathing right in his ear. He breathed a bit faster and felt a slight tingle run up his spine when Silver wrapped an arm around his waist.

"You good?" he asked, peeking over his shoulder. She kept a hold of her ribcage with the other arm.

"No."

Zoom pulled up to Agura and Silver slid off with a quiet grunt.

"Silver… WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Vert called. "You'll be KILLED."

"Hold on, Vert." Zoom put up a hand, confident in the strange girl's abilities. "Watch…"

Silver stood next to the Tangler and slowly exhaled with arms relaxed by her sides. Then she slowly lifted them, and as she did, the ice covering the green vehicle melted and floated off. As it rose, it lifted the limp Tangler from off the floor, allowing an escape for Agura. She dropped the seat and hobbled out.

"Thanks." The huntress breathed.

"I owed you."

"You _still_ do." Agura crossed her arms at the green wreckage of her vehicle. Silver suddenly whipped her hands over her head and the water whisked through the air above Agura where it froze, then shattered upon laser impact. Agura covered her head from shards of ice, but Silver had already caught them mid-air.

"Now we are even." She nodded sharply. Agura stood shocked for a second, processing what happened so quickly, then grinned.

"We need to regroup and figure something out." Silver gritted her teeth as she continued using her water freezing tactic against oncoming blasts. "Everyone, get to the tank."

"Hey, I'm the leader." Vert corrected her. "Everyone, REGROUP AT THE BUSTER!"

The team obeyed. After much insisting, Agura climbed aboard Zoom's bike and they joined the others at the blue, stationary tank. Silver, with waving arm motions and a slight wince, swept all the water up into a wave beneath her. It emitted a slight glowing hue as she speedily rode it across the floor to the group, zig-zagging around lasers along the way. When she reached them, she was out of breath but once again began her tactic to absorb the red blasts with ice. Stanford tried to intercept some as well.

"Ok, we're all here." Spinner's voice was squeaky with panic. "NOW WHAT?!"

[Author's note: Hello my readers! I'm very sorry for the speed at which it has taken me to write another chapter. Things have been quite busy with me. Let me know in the comments how you want this to turn out, how you expect it to turn out (I try to make things more surprising), or if you want me to pick up the pace with the storyline. Your input has been most encouraging and such a great help. Thank you!]


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Panting, trying to resist grabbing her aching ribs, Silver did her best to fend off the laser blasts. How did everything go so wrong? The _entire_ ball should have crashed to the floor, allowing the team to knock down the robot, grab the key, and get out. But instead, she had disabled two of their toughest vehicles and ensured everyone's deaths. She squinted her eyes and a small tear slipped down her face.

 _Worst guardian ever…_ she whispered. _But I_ _ **won't**_ _let you beat me down, Tors._ Silver felt the guilt turn into rage inside her chest as she set her jaw in determination. "Every day, every hour," her voice grew in strength and vibrato. "TURN THE PAIN INTO POWER!" The team watched as she planted her feet firmly into the ground, crossed her arms over her chest, and contracted all the water into a glowing, writhing, powerful orb of magic energy hovering in air. Silver's chest heaved with the effort as she felt the magic building inside and fighting her containment, pushing to be released. _Not yet…_ she clenched her fists tighter, and the orb looked as if ready to explode! The lasers targeted the team, ready for the final kill.

"Silver…" urgency tipped Vert's voice. The girl swallowed hard, looked at her target, and with great force, whipped down her arms, letting loose the magic. The orb shot through the air, quick as lighting! It reached the hanging weapon and sparks jumped off the red spikes as glowing water oozed through every crevice and covered every corner. Silver held her open position until the half-manipulator became entirely encased. Then she cried out, clasped her hands straight in front of her body and the magic exploded with blinding light. The team gasped, then cheered to see the weapon ripped apart. Pieces scattered and rained everywhere as Tors-ten bellowed in rage. With her job done, Silver felt her energy slip away and her knees buckled.

"Woah," Zoom moved to catch her and slowly lowered her to the ground, supporting her with his arm. "easy there… take it easy." He could feel Silver's whole body shuddering as he helped to pull off the black helmet. Once off, she breathed deep, relaxing just a bit. Then the scout pulled off his own helmet and adjusted his patient's position. He wondered what she _really_ was beneath the strange eyes and magic abilities. _What do you call someone like her?_

"You have… about one minute." Silver said weakly, and attempted to sit up but Agura came and pushed her back down into Zoom's arm.

"Hold on there, speedy." She shook her head. "You need to rest. One minute for what?"

"One minute until…" Silver place a hand over her ribcage and winced. "Tors-ten's reinforcements."

"Vert!" Agura shot up and looked intently at her leader. "We have one minute to move. What's the plan?"

"We need to take down that robot." Vert nodded, glad to regain control. "Sherman, analyze the support column!"

"Done! Spinner, any more concussion bombs back there?"

"Already on it!" the short Cortez brother loaded a _working_ firing slot and rotated it to aim. "Ready when you are, bro!"

"Fire!"

A blue, flashy canister launched from the turret and hit a point about three fifths of the way up to Tor-ten's cockpit. The column crumbled like sand from the explosion and the robot screamed as he plummeted to the ground. Concrete and stone hit the floor with a heavy thud, and the key bounced away from the ruin and buried robot. Vert quickly picked it up, then issued for rough repairs to be made so the team could return to Earth ASAP. With the head of the test facility down, the threat was over. The team high fived and congratulated each other before approaching the girl slumped in Zoom's arm.

"That was AWSOME!" Spinner exclaimed with huge eyes. "You were like – pain, power, something or… whatever! Then you were like – HHHAAAAARRRROOOOOM!" the small Cortez made explosion noises with his mouth and flailed his hands around. Silver smiled with amusement.

"I would laugh, but it hurts my ribs." She said quietly, keeping a hand over her abdomen.

"I have a first aid kit and we can get you wrapped so it doesn't hurt so much." Sherman procured a red and white bin from the Buster and brought out a roll of cloth bandages.

"No, it's fine, just bruised. I don't think bandages will help."

Sherman shrugged and put the kit away.

"You sure?" Zoom asked. Silver nodded and smiled up at him, weakly.

"But I appreciate the gesture."

"Nice job, Silver. Besides the fact that you whooped our butts good," The leader knelt down, held out his hand and smiled. "you really came through."

"It was an honor working with you and your team." Silver firmly shook Vert's hand.

She barely finished her sentence before a metal claw shot through the rubble and pushed over a boulder. Tors-ten, with entangled red wires and dented metal, pulled himself free of the concrete with determined, maniacal screams. Everyone leaped back, and Spinner jumped with fright into Agura's arms. The huntress made a face before dropping him.

"The bloom'in thing is still alive!" Stanford yelped and scrambled into Reverb. Zoom felt the girl begin to tremble, even though her face displayed brave anger towards the robot. Backing away, he slowly stood while she leaned on him for support. Silver couldn't even walk, so Zoom changed his mind and picked her up altogether. The team glanced at their scout, but said nothing.

"This isn't necessary." She whispered, slightly annoyed, and shifted uncomfortably.

"You can barely stand. I think it is." He looked down at her, giving her a look that said it was stupid to try to fight him. "How are your ribs?" he asked.

"Fine." Silver didn't meet his eyes, but instead, turned her attention to the immerging robot. Tors waved about, wildly shrieking, and his five, red, targeting eyes locked onto the team.

"He looks like a sark…?" Sherman peered closer to the mechanical mess.

"A red sark?" Agura didn't like the thought. "What does that mean?"

"You will… never know," Tors- ten mumbled in broken robotic speech. "until… it's too late." Before his lights flickered off, a metal claw clicked a button on his wrist.

"Uh… any chance that gives us free auto-service?" Stanford asked in a high voice. A distant explosion said otherwise. The pre-destruction holding cells vanished, and the vandals dropped to the floor as Calis issued a retreat. With roars and bellows, the vandals disappeared through the portal. Everywhere, walls cracked, columns began to topple, and the ground teetered with the vibrations.

"He's issued a self-destruct sequence!" Silver shouted as the dome began shaking itself to pieces. "You guys don't have much time to evacuate."

"Us?" Zoom asked as he placed her on Chopper and slid in front. "What about YOU?" He popped on his helmet and handed the black one to Silver. She pushed it away and hobbled off the bike.

"Take it. I'm not going with you."

"What?" the scout felt something inside himself break. "Why?"

"Because I have my own mission. This," Silver gestured to the battle key attached to Saber. "is yours. Mine is back home as a guardian."

"But Earth is your home."

She shook her head. "Earth was never my home."

 _Gaurdian of planet Faven…_ the words seemed to constantly ring in Zoom's mind. An alien. This girl was a rainbow eyed, black and silver haired, magic wielding, _almost human_ alien! More rocks fell to the ground as the team hitched together in order to tow the Tangler and Buster out.

"Zoom, Silver, let's go!" Vert yelled. "This place will come down on top of us any minute!" The portal opened, and the Reverb and Tangler were the first to disappear into its swirling blue window. Beyond it, the sunny and scorching desert plains of Handler's Corners awaited the return of Battle Force 5.

"Hurry! Go!" Silver's urgency was emphasized by the collapse of a nearby wall.

"The BF5 leaves no one behind! Get on!" Zoom commanded and revved his bike.

"Well I guess that makes me no one." Silver nodded and stepped back. Her face was determined and serious. Zoom knew from her expression that she wouldn't budge, and Vert waited for him while the whole dome was crumbling to pieces. The young scout determined he had a least a couple more seconds… He slid off Chopper, walked up to her, and pulled the startled girl into a hug.

"Not no one," Zoom said. " _someone_ … a brave warrior determined to do whatever it takes to find her planet." Silver hesitated at first, then returned the strong embrace.

"Thanks."

When Zoom pulled away, Silver wouldn't meet his eyes. Her black bangs fell in front of her face, and she kept her head down even after he mounted Chopper. The scout glanced back one last time as he reached the portal, in hopes to say goodbye, but the girl had disappeared. Vert followed right behind him with the Buster in tow as the rumbling of falling breaking stone became drowned in the rushing sound of portal electricity. The three vehicles emerged on the other side and Agura reached out to close the portal. The key flew into her hand, shutting the door to the battle zone holding a dead robot, an alien girl, and maybe even a piece of their scout's heart.

"Finally!" Stanford exclaimed, annoyed.

"Where's Silver?" Agura looked at Zoom who kept his head down, staring at the gages on his dashboard. Without a response, he took off across the desert.

"What's got him all… _meh_?" the brit popped open Reverb's hatch and looked around at his team. The atmosphere took on a melancholy feel as Vert hesitated to explain.

"Silver decided to… stay behind."

"What? Why?" Agura asked.

"As a guardian, it was her job to return and protect Faven, her home world." Sherman said.

"So," Spinner scratched his head and shrugged. "she wouldn't come with us and since time was running out… we kinda had to… book it outa there."

"But she'll be crushed!" Agura protested, looking at the boys like they were a bunch of idiots.

"She's tough." Vert assured the huntress. "I'm sure she'll be fine." Agura shook her head in disapproval. They might be able to go back, but the portal was most likely blocked by concrete now.

"How's Zoom taking it?" she asked.

"You noticed too?" Vert sighed. "I'm not sure..." The team stared at the Chopper's dust trail.

Back at the hub, Zoom flopped in bed and held a black helmet in front of his face, staring at the visor. He kept clicking it up and down while recalling memories from Tors-ten's horrid test facility. Remembering meeting the alien girl, jumping at a look from her vivid eyes, carrying her when she was too weak to walk, and the hug they last shared, Zoom couldn't make sense of his feelings. For someone he just met, it surprisingly hurt to leave the alien girl behind. He turned the helmet around and looked inside before pulling it over his head. The room instantly darkened from beneath the visor, but something else turned on and glowed against the shield, like a computer screen. The word "start" flashed in white letters in front of his face. Zoom sat up, wondering…

"Start." He said aloud.

The letters were replaced by a recording. The video played from the point when the match between Silver and the team began. Zoom held his breath, watching everything as it had been, play in sequence before his eyes. From Silver's viewpoint, whenever she wore the helmet, memory after fragment memory was played till the moment she collapsed. Zoom saw his face appear.

"Easy there… take it easy."

Then the helmet was pulled off Silver's head and the recording ended.

"Delete?" the helmet spelled out in white letters.

"No."

"Confirmed" it flashed, before returning to the state of a regular visor. Zoom pulled off the helmet and smiled. The memories were there, available to play whenever he forgot the sound of her voice or how she saved the team. He stared at it a little longer before stashing it beneath his bed. Someone knocked on the door.

"Zoom," Vert's muffled voice showed his worry. "you ok? Just thought I would…" Zoom opened the door.

"Yeah." he smiled. "I'm good."

"So we were just heading to Zeke's to grab some grub. You coming?"

"Definitely! I'm starving." Zoom walked out, laughing at a few wise cracks from Vert. He had a good feeling. A feeling that he'd see Silver again… someday.

 **[** Author's note: **Well, that is the end of this episode! I hope you enjoyed it! I know I had so much fun writing and editing it (as best I could on my own)! Thank you SO MUCH for reading and I hope to further entertain you in the future. Already itching to read more? Check out the sneak peek on the next page!]**


	7. Sneak Peek!

Coming Soon!

 **Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 Ascent of the Red Sentients II Twisted**

Thunder rumbled in the zone as the sound of fallen warriors played in harmony. Vert face two of the deadliest beings in the multiverse; Krytus and Kyrosys, red sentients with a red hot temperament to match. In a growling voice, Krytus gave Vert a choice.

"How do you want this to end, human? His fire?" he glanced at Kyrosys' flaming wheels. "Or my blades?" Vert didn't like either of his options. He was outnumbered, _almost_ out-skilled, but overall, sorely in need of backup.

"Vert!" Zoom's voice piped up through the com-link. "I got the fuser!"

"Sage, Zoom has the fuser." The leader looked at his on-board computer, mind enveloped with an idea. "Can you get him _here_ by matching the Chopper and Saber's frequencies?" Sage hurriedly clicked away on her blue quantum computer.

"I'm reconfiguring the fuser which will allow Zoom to zone-jump to your coordinates." She nodded. "Ready in five, four, three, two…"

A portal burst open a few yards away from Vert's position, and Zoom shot through. Krytus and Kyrosys shielded their eyes from the light emitted when the fuser hit the ground and exploded into funnels of energy.

"Unite!" Vert yelled, driving for the vortex.

"And strike!" Zoom followed just behind and together, they drove into Sage's newest weapon. A fuser, able to take two sentient vehicles and combine their greatest assets into a hybrid with greater power, speed, and agility. The team mates came soaring out on a saber-like jet. The leader sat in the main driver's seat with a windshield and red body like the Saber, while the scout rode in an open cockpit colored yellow, just above him. Wings popped out on either side and the front unfolded to reveal the deadly chainsaw that Saber was famous for. But when on the ground, the Skyknife drove like a massive trike; two wheels on the front and one giant wheel in the back. As an extra touch, the boys' uniforms also transformed to white and red or orange, according to the driver.

Screaming through the air, the hybrid became an intimidating sight. Kyrosys lit his wheels and launched two circles of fire into the air, hoping to clip the Skyknife's wings. Vert timed an expert maneuver, dodging sideways then flipping past the two shots.

"Woah," Vert raised his eyebrows at the astonishing control. "Sage wasn't kidding about this fusion power!"

"I hear that! Skyknife is AWESOME!" Zoom gave a whoop as they swooped down on the red sentients and sawed the top of Krytus, who roared his disapproval.

Kyrosys launched another pair of flaming wheels. Vert swooped around, dodging them easily, but at a cost. The energy they used shook the hybrid, causing a noticeable vibration through the vehicle.

"Woah…" Zoom glanced down at Vert. "Is that the 'tremor' Sage said…"

"…that means our ride is half up?" Vert nodded. "Afraid so… Just means we gotta fight faster!" He took the Skyknife in for another dive, gliding over the ground and missing both sentients by an inch. Vert circled around to give it another go, but the vibrations began again, this time accompanied by the flicker of uniform color fading back to the originals.

"Hang on!" Vert yelled. "The Skyknife is out of energy!" Too late to turn around, the hybrid continued its course toward then past the enemy. It skimmed the ground, and with a flash of light, reverted back to its original form of the Chopper and Saber. The drivers pulled a one-eighty before stopping at the foot of dirt mounds. Krytus and Kyrosys closed in with evil grins on their faces.

"Time to send you back to your respawn chambers, Krytus!" Vert clenched his jaw with a determined expression.

"Unless we send you to oblivion first!" the red sentient roared. "You had your chance humans…"

"We have no mercy." Kyrosys hissed with a devilish grin.

"When it comes to sentient scumbags like you," called a familiar voice. "neither do I."

Both parties' attention turned to the cloaked figure standing atop the mound behind Vert and Zoom. A black cape and hood hid the physical features, but Zoom didn't need a face to match the voice. He knew who it belonged to.

"Silver?" the scout almost stopped breathing to hear a response. A gloved hand reached up and pulled the hood back, revealing black hair with a metallic silver streak near the front, a determined smile, and startlingly vivid rainbow colored eyes.

"The one and only." she said.


End file.
